Zimbabwean Mbira (thumb piano) master Musekiwa Chingodza will be visiting Western Colorado. He will perform at Steve’s Guitars in Carbondale, Thursday May 17th 8:30pm, the n  appear at Revolution Brewing in Paonia, Friday May 18th at 6pm. He will also offer a series of classes over the weekend.

Musekiwa will be teaching two days of beginner workshops in singing, Mbira and Hosho (shaker).  Classes will be held Saturday May 19th and Sunday May 20th, in Hotchkiss. These workshops are sponsored by ‘Zimbabwe in the North Fork,’ a local group dedicated to promoting the traditional music and culture of Zimbabwe.

Musekiwa is touring after the release of his fourth CD, “Muronda Tsimba.”   Musekiwa will offer beginning classes to introduce the techniques and styles of his traditional music.

The  mbira is a primary traditional instrument of the Zezuru tribes of the Shona people, and has been played for over 1,000 years at religious rituals, royal courts, and social occasions. It consists of 22 to 28 metal keys mounted on a hardwood soundboard and is usually placed inside a large gourd resonator (deze). The keys are played with the two thumbs plucking down and the right forefinger plucking up.

Musekiwa Chingodza was born into a family of great mbira players in Mwangara village, Murewa, in 1970. He began playing mbira at age five, and says about his playing “No one taught me to play mbira. Rather, I learned by listening to other [mbira masters] as they were playing.”

The Hotchkiss workshops are a rare opportunity to learn more about this beautiful